Combining translations - which edition is listed first/as main title?

[Thijs]

I've been combining many translations, mainly of Dutch authors. However, I've noticed that very often the original language edition is not listed first, or as the main title under which all other editions are listed.

This has some strange results. For example, under author Maarten 't Hart, one of the most-read Dutch authors, books that appear in his profile are often listed under their German (translated) titles.

My question is: how does Goodreads determine which is the "main" edition that comes up on top when combining editions? Is there a way to change this outcome and are there any guidelines regarding this subject? Thanks.

[Melody]

I believe it's the edition that is the most popular (the one that most people mark as being the one that they read).

[Cecile]

I think that too.
I've had the same issue with books by French authors.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Tiss wrote: "Is there a way to change this outcome"

Not currently.

[Plch]

some books by Italian authors are listed under their farsi edition (which is presently the most popular)... it-s really quite strange!

[Melody]

Well of course there IS a way to force an edition to the top. It would require a superuser (and have the blessings of goodreads). If it looks like more people have simply marked it to read - and/or the reviews are done in another language - the most popular (the one with the title in the translated version) can be deleted and the reviews will transfer to the next popular - and this can be repeated until an edition with the correct translation is on top. Then the translation can be added back and recombined. I guess it would be even more appropriate to message the reviewers to give them an opportunity to change their selected edition - but they are free to change their edition at anytime even without a message. Just something to consider. Perhaps the particular peculiar examples can be pointed out with links and they can be judged on an individual basis. Rivka, what do you think?

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Given that manually changing the priority edition is on the to-do list, I'm not in favor of deleting-and-re-adding editions (although it has been done in a few rare instances).